After an in-depth review, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has given Lesley University full approval for its educator preparation program.*

Such approval signals a recognition by the state that the program is deemed “to have met all standards for preparing effective educators in Massachusetts.”

In February, teams from the state and from the Washington, D.C.-based Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) visited campus to conduct a week-long joint review. They examined the TEAC inquiry brief submitted earlier by Lesley, as well as additional documentation. They also interviewed core faculty, adjunct faculty, current students, district partners, alumni, administrators, and staff to elicit further information. One aspect of the visit was the availability of an electronic data room that stored pertinent information readily available for review.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) found overall that “Lesley University’s leadership, faculty, and administrative staff have demonstrated a commitment to continuous improvement and ongoing collaboration with school districts in a joint effort to prepare effective educators in the commonwealth.”

Partnerships with schools in Cambridge and other communities, they found, “are the basis for rich clinical experiences for their candidates and for drawing on the knowledge and skills of accomplished and carefully selected practitioners.” Core and adjunct faculty are a strong asset, as is the adjunct mentoring program, which supports consistency across programs.

Commendations

In addition to the approval, Lesley received two commendations, an award DESE reserves for “truly exceptional, innovative, or outstanding practices.” The first was for recruitment, selection and evaluation processes that result in the hiring and retention of effective faculty and staff, who engage in professional development, research, and the K-12 system that improves candidate preparation, and faculty who have current knowledge and experience in the content they teach. The second covered the school guidance counselor and social work/school adjustment counselor programs, which have structures that ensure that candidates receive effective advising throughout the program.

Highlights of Other Strengths

The following are highlights of Lesley’s educator program strengths DESE found during their visit:

Lesley’s online comprehensive unified system, including key assignments for each course, that “holds the promise for ongoing data collection and analysis to inform continuous improvement and documentation in subsequent national and state annual reports.”

Policies and systems that ensure that program completers have been assessed and have mastered the Professional Standards for Teachers at the level of Initially licensed teacher and Initially licensed school guidance counselor and school social worker/adjustment counselor.

Commitment to ensuring that all program completers at all levels have content mastery.

Meaningful partnerships with many school districts.

Deep, interactive, and sustainable partnerships across all programs.

The capacity to create, deliver, and sustain effective educator preparation programs across all areas at the baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate levels, and structures that assure coalescences among programs at all levels and with all delivery modalities.

The Lesley University Library System.

The Adjunct Faculty Mentoring Model, which provides a process for faculty assessment, course development, common understandings regarding grading and assessment, and modeling of instructional practices. Mentoring continues throughout the faculty member’s association with the university.

Screening by School Guidance Counselor, Social Worker/School Adjustment Counselor, and Special Education programs to screen for disposition appropriate to the role.

TEAC will submit their accreditation review to Lesley University in the fall of 2014.

*"Program” covers the 60 educator preparation variations offered in the Graduate School of Education, Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences, and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for Initial license, Professional license, and professional development/non-licensure programs.